Chapter 36 – The Effort to Make Truth One

A Duke was a great noble.

The manor was more splendid than any Gaikaku had ever visited, and absurdly large.

Inside were many notables and even more servants.

A murder occurring within such a place produced a crowd of suspects.

In fact, almost everyone in the manor became a suspect.

Because former Duke Lasal Hague was donating a rare book, many executives from the museum and auction house had gathered, which made everything even more chaotic.

A murder in a ducal house was already a massive problem, but what made things worse was Lasal Hague himself publicly declaring, “The murdered librarian is my illegitimate child.”

He refused to accept a scapegoat or a stand-in contrived by the true culprit, and declared no one would leave until the real killer was identified.

He said he trusted no one but himself and suspected everyone present in the manor, bringing in soldiers from outside to place them under watch.

And then… he decided to summon someone who could lay bare the truth.

About ten days had passed since the incident.

Servants, invited guests, and members of the ducal family were all driven into a state of exasperation.

Obviously, most of them were unrelated to the murder. Each knew they weren’t the culprit and thought, This is outrageous—just release me already.

But no one could defy the former Duke, and the current Duke hadn’t stopped him either.

In fact, they’d jointly requested the Conjurer Knights’ help.

By now, no one could say, “I’m not the culprit, so I’m leaving!”

If anyone tried, they’d be making enemies of the Duke and end up far beyond mere ostracism.

That said, those in a position to complain naturally wanted to complain.

The wife of the current Duke, Sabik Hague, complained to him.

“Please… stop this embarrassing spectacle. You must persuade your father!”

“…You think so?”

“Yes! It’s a disgrace! Just appoint a plausible culprit and call it solved. The book, too—if we search in earnest, we’ll find it!”

“…I see.”

Sabik Hague was a man in his thirties.

His wife was the same age, and frankly their relationship was good.

Which was why she could speak so bluntly.

“But it’s too late for that. Now that we’ve taken this stance, our honor is at stake unless we find the culprit. And… I want it solved as well.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because there are those who think I did it.”

Sabik was indignant.

“In truth, within this manor, it was fairly well known that the murdered librarian was my half-brother. Given that, with this incident, it’s only natural that some would think, ‘It would be amusing if the Duke were the culprit.’”

“Huh? Why? You succeeded to the title more than five years ago… it’s not like you’d fear an illegitimate child stealing your seat.”

In any family, it was natural for succession struggles to spark fratricidal strife.

And even an illegitimate child might be named heir if the father were foolish enough.

Thus, in the heat of a succession crisis, one might consider “taking care of” the illegitimate child.

But that struggle had ended long ago. Even back then, Lasal Hague hadn’t counted the librarian among the candidates.

In other words… Sabik had no reason to kill the librarian.

“It’s the opposite. I could endure rumors like ‘He killed his half-brother in a succession dispute.’ That happens everywhere, and I myself might have done so depending on circumstances.”

“?”

“What I hate is rumors like ‘The one Lasal truly loved was the librarian,’ or ‘Sabik, out of jealousy, killed his brother.’”

“…Oh.”

“Truth is irrelevant to rumor. People will always spout whatever makes for a better story.”

And if there were legitimate reasons, Sabik could endure such talk.

But he couldn’t bear being branded a “father-obsessed” Duke by public opinion.

“Also… even for the servants, this isn’t someone else’s problem. A diligent librarian… and the former Duke’s son at that… was killed, and no one earnestly seeks the killer. How should they take that?”

“…It would certainly breed distrust.”

“Let it drag on too long and the servants will resent it; give up too quickly and they’ll hate us. Then we won’t be able to trust our servants either.”

If the truth could be reached, that was best.

But with a ducal house involved, truth was very difficult.

As the Duchess said, fabrications could be made in any number.

As they thought this, a soldier appeared before them.

Fearing a lurking murderer, he was armed.

“Pardon me, Your Graces. The former Duke orders everyone gathered in the grand hall… the Conjurer Knights’ Knight Commander has arrived.”

“I see…”

The rising knight order’s commander, Gaikaku Hikume.

He was rumored to solve any difficult case as if by sleight of hand, a man of terrifying cunning.

With suspects too numerous to count, he might resolve this case in short order.

With that hope, the two walked toward the grand hall.

Rumor required no substantiation. It was always irresponsible, slapdash, and sloppy.

So long as it entertained, that was enough. It was fun to imagine, fun to tell others, and enough that others enjoyed it.

That was rumor—after all, for most people, truth didn’t matter.

Suspects gathered in the grand hall of the ducal manor.

Gentlemen and ladies befitting the hall mixed with servants who decidedly were not.

Even the former Duke himself was treated as a suspect and mingled there.

Though past his fifties, he still waited for the “detective” with resolute bearing.

To see that stately figure, one would think only of a father awaiting truth about his son’s death.

But with malice, one could read it as “suspicious” or think “the detective he summoned will merely contrive a story.”

Arbitrarily.

Even so, they awaited the “detective,” because they too expected the show.

Everyone awaited the arrival of someone who could break this stalemate.

“Good day, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you most kindly for gathering here.”

Right on cue, a man behaving every bit the detective appeared.

Gaikaku Hikume wore a silk top hat and a tuxedo—quintessential conjurer attire.

He strode in with stagey, musical-theater flair.

Seeing him, everyone almost thought, This is a knight commander?

But since the Duke had summoned him, they couldn’t doubt—only watch in silence.

The current Duke and former Duke also watched quietly.

“I am the faithful servant of Tistria-sama… Gaikaku Hikume, Knight Commander of the Conjurer Knights. At the joint request of Lord Lasal Hague and Lord Sabik Hague, I have come.”

His voice carried well to those in the corners, yet was not painful to those nearby.

“First… my condolences regarding the deceased—the librarian who lost his life in the line of duty.”

With strict courtesy, he began to recount the case.

“This incident began when Lord Lasal Hague purchased Volume V of the long-form fantasy magitech novel ‘Vortex,’ which had been banned. For political reasons, publication was halted; one surviving copy was purchased by Lord Lasal. It was stored in this residence’s library, in a locked glass case. The key was managed by the victim—the librarian—and that fact was relatively well known among those in the manor.”

It was the classic detective mystery-show setup.

Yet everyone listening frowned.

He’d arrived only moments ago, and now he gathered everyone. To what end?

Was he really about to stage a deduction show?

“About ten days ago. Just before the donation to the national museum, the librarian was killed, the key stolen, and Volume V of ‘Vortex’ was taken from the glass case. It has not been found. Nor do we have any clue who the culprit is. However… if we consider it ‘plainly,’ the culprit’s aim is obvious.”

Those who did not want to consider it plainly felt a chill down their spines.

They felt as if warned not to say anything careless.

In truth, the aim was clear if considered plainly.

“Volume V of ‘Vortex’ is indeed rare. If sold, it would fetch a very high price. That’s evident from the high bid Lord Lasal paid. However, it is too rare. There is likely only one copy in existence. No one would buy a stolen book that is so clearly a stolen item—stolen from a ducal house, no less.”

Gaikaku shrugged exaggeratedly.

“Furthermore, choosing this timing to steal it is absurd. It’s harder to detect pilfering something shelved in storage than stealing something that would be donated the next day. Thus, it is unlikely the culprit planned to sell it.”

So, plainly, the motive was obvious.

“The culprit wanted the book. No—he wanted to read it. Not because someone asked him to steal it, but because he himself wanted to read it.”

Among those gathered, a number wanted to read Volume V of ‘Vortex.’

A final volume of a celebrated long novel was enticing enough; having been banned made it even more so.

Those who had read Volumes I through IV back then would feel it all the more.

“I just examined the case that held Volume V of ‘Vortex.’ Forgive the phrasing, but it’s not exactly robust. One could likely have smashed the glass and taken it. That would be a major problem, but lighter than killing a person. In other words… here’s what the situation likely was.”

What Gaikaku said, almost all already understood.

It wasn’t especially entertaining and frankly was ordinary, but it was the natural flow.

“The culprit had long wanted desperately to read Volume V of ‘Vortex,’ and upon learning Lord Lasal purchased it, wanted to read it even more. But its poor condition made it hard to even ask. Meanwhile, it was slated for donation. At this rate, unless one worked at the museum, one would never read it. Panicking, the culprit acted.”

If this was correct, the buyer himself and museum staff were excluded as suspects.

But among hundreds, excluding a few meant little.

“He couldn’t carelessly approach the Duke, so he went to the librarian who managed the key and said something like, ‘I won’t steal it or copy it—just let me read it.’ The librarian refused, of course. If caught, he’d lose his job, and even if not, if the book were damaged, he’d be blamed. But the cornered culprit didn’t care. He begged repeatedly on the spot, and when refused, lost his temper… and killed him.”

At this point, Lasal clenched his fist tightly.

But he still listened without interruption.

“Returning to his senses after the killing, the culprit still rashly tried to fulfill his original aim. Using the librarian’s key ring, he opened the glass case in the library, stole the book he wanted. But because its condition was poor, he couldn’t read it immediately. And because of the uproar, he hid it for the time being somewhere only he knew. That’s where things stand now… after the heat dies down, he intends to retrieve it, take it out of the manor, and read in peace.”

There was nothing to draw out.

Plain thinking took anyone there.

The question was how to identify the culprit.

“It would be nice if I could perform a deduction show here, but alas, I cannot.”

He laughed that he couldn’t.

Yet there was a hint of audacious confidence.

“All I can do is present this.”

He drew a book from behind his back.

Seeing the thickly bound volume, the auction staff who’d sold to the former Duke spoke out.

“T-that’s Volume V of ‘Vortex’?!”

“Yes, the real thing.”

At that, everyone was truly shocked.

Somehow, the very book at the root of the incident appeared.

To the former Duke, it no longer mattered, but it was rare, expensive, and certainly a lead to the culprit.

When, how, and from where had he found it?

“However, this is not the one Lord Lasal purchased. Nor is it one of the burned copies. This is the original-language edition published in a distant country… Yapan.”

The cover art was the same, causing confusion, but the text was different.

It was clearly written in a script unlike the language of this country.

“W-what?! T-then that’s rare in its own right! At least, this is my first time seeing it! If it’s genuine, the price would be…!”

“It’s vulgar to name a price here, but at least as a ‘book,’ it is genuine. You can’t read the text, but the internal illustrations are the same, aren’t they?”

In this country, only a handful knew the illustrations of Volume V of ‘Vortex.’

Those auction staff among that handful stared hungrily.

“The illustrations are genuine… and the condition is far better!”

“With formal appraisal…”

“Lord Gaikaku, where did you obtain this?”

“It’s my personal property, brought from my home this time.”

Gaikaku’s reply was slightly off.

But “personal property” made the auction people’s eyes light up.

If they could sell a rare genuine item, that was enough for them.

“Well, if one is willing to spend time and effort, one can buy it. It’s only banned in this country—back where it was published, it’s just a modestly rare used book. That said, it’s a distant country, so going there is hard. And more than that… even if you buy it, you can’t read it. The original language has two phonetic scripts and hundreds of thousands of ideographs. In this country, only a handful, myself included, could read this.”

Hard to obtain, hard to read.

He had one. He could read it.

The moment he said so, those who wanted to read Volume V of ‘Vortex’ swallowed hard.

“Of course, I’ve read it. To the end. Over and over.”

And then Gaikaku cast them into hell.

“I will reveal the contents of this book as precisely and as boringly as possible—everything. If the culprit who wants to read it hears this, it will ruin the experience when the time comes.”

A murmur rose among the hundreds of suspects.

By now, Gaikaku’s aim was clear.

A book someone wanted so badly that he killed, that he stole from a Duke—one he was dying to read.

Spoilers that would completely ruin a reading experience he could almost touch.

Because he was the culprit, he would want to stop this.

Therefore, right now, the culprit should be turning pale.

Look around at this very moment, and you might spot him.

So they thought…

“A-ahhh…!!”

Many focused on a single man.

He had gone deathly pale and was trembling.

It wasn’t an act; it was his heart laid bare.

“…”

The former Duke glared at him.

Among the suspects gathered here, he alone stood out blatantly.

“Then, I’ll begin with the ending…”

“Please don’t!”

The one who interrupted Gaikaku was a servant.

A middle-aged cook from the kitchen.

“P-please don’t, please don’t! Don’t desecrate such a masterpiece!”

“Hmm, is that what you say. You seem to love this book. However, at the request of the former and current Dukes, I intend to spoil it to solve the case. Only those two have the right to stop me…”

“Do it. Continue.”

“Don’t obstruct the hunt for the culprit.”

He truly loved ‘Vortex.’

That was clear, but that was all.

He was just a cook; there was no way he could defy the Dukes.

Other book lovers couldn’t interject either.

(Even if it’s dull, if I can just know the ending, that’s still something…)

For those who might never read it, even spoilers might be welcome.

They simply kept their silence.

“I—I am the culprit!!”

Despairing that no one else would stop him, the cook confessed at last.

Everyone present understood it clearly—this was the true culprit.

“For the record, what proof makes you the culprit?”

“I—I hid the book… in the food store, way in the back… stuffed inside a sack of wheat.”

“You heard him. Soldiers, confirm.”

Following Gaikaku’s orders, the soldiers—who had been preventing anyone from leaving—moved.

For a time, the grand hall was wrapped in silence.

But it was very brief.

“We found it, exactly where he confessed!”

“The book is safe!”

Soldiers returned in a flurry.

Hearing that, the suspects held their breath.

“Hmm… Well, Lord Lasal Hague, Lord Sabik Hague?”

Gaikaku sought confirmation from his clients.

“Are you satisfied with this truth?”

“I am satisfied, Lord Gaikaku. You have done well to reveal it.”

“Good. This leaves no room for conjecture… Take him away.”

From a multitude of suspects, one was neatly singled out.

Everyone admired the skill, and even the Dukes offered full gratitude.

However…

“W-wait! At least… let me read it!”

The culprit—the cook—made one last plea.

“I—I’ve waited for that book for so long! When I heard the final volume was coming, I was truly happy. And then it was banned and… I fell into despair. I’ve dreamed of it for so long! And now… and now!”

There was something relatable in his words.

Some understood his pain.

To know how a story ends, to read that ultimate volume.

In response to that aching desire, Gaikaku…

“I have a lot I could say, but this much is enough.”

Gaikaku spoke for the Dukes.

“Don’t kill.”

It carried contempt and rejection; in truth, there were no other words for him.

At a loss for words, the culprit was taken away by the soldiers.

He had killed a man and stolen the Duke’s property.

The crimes were not light; he would face harsh punishment.

But… for him, perhaps the greatest punishment would be the fact that he never did get to read it.